Obama vs. Reagan

Much has been made of the size of the TV audience for President Obama's inauguration.

Neilsen's best guess (and it IS a guess, there's little science involved in any ratings information) is that some 38 million viewers tuned in, second only to the 41.8 million who tuned in for Ronald Reagan's inauguration.

That may be.

But, I think we need to look at a couple of other numbers before we get too congratulatory.

There are about 115 million TV households in the United States today. in 1981, that number was a mere 82 million.

So, Reagan's TV audience share was around 51% of the available households, while Obama's audience share is only about 33%.

Let me be clear. I'm not saying this shows a significant difference in the importance of one event over the other.

What I'm saying is, as a nation we're relying on live TV less and less and less to get our news.

Mid-Season: By the Numbers

So we've come to the mid-point of the TV season and here's how things are stacking up for the networks:

Through January 11, the season-to-date numbers show CBS averaging 10.98 million viewers,
ABC 8.78, FOX 7.91, NBC 7.64.

The annual arrival of 24 and AMERICAN IDOL are once again changing the map. How so? The week ending January 4th showed FOX in 4th place behind NBC with 7.43 million viewers.

In the 18-49 demographic, FOX should pass CBS this week to take over the lead. CBS held a slim 70,000 viewer lead as of 1/11. That was well before FOX scored with a roundhouse punch with their new Monday night lineup of HOUSE and 24. The new tandem dethroned CBS' strong Monday night lineup for the first time in months.

In terms of total viewers, FOX will have to draw about 2.5 million viewers more than CBS each week to catch up by the end of the season.

The week of 1/11, FOX outpulled CBS by 2.43 million viewers, so it could easily go down to the wire.

We'll have a much clearer picture next week once the new Monday lineups are factored in and we see how the IDOL crowd sticks around for FRINGE and LIE TO ME - and how well BONES performs on Thursday.

Meanwhile, more kudos to the programming geniuses at NBC who managed to come in SIXTH in Adults 18-34 this past Monday.

SIXTH.

Behind the CW.

Behind UNIVISION.

But hey, as long as they're making money, right?

IDOL Coming Down to Earth?

In the past my favorite saying when it came to AMERICAN IDOL was "How high is up?"

The numbers were always astronomical and the question year after year was will this be the year IDOL slows down?

This year looks like it could be that year.

Numbers were down 10% for IDOL compared to last year - but I've got to say the show is already better than it has been in the past three seasons. It will be interesting to see if the slide holds true for Night 2.

The new judge, Kara is strong and opinionated - but also a gal pal for Paula. The editors have stayed true to their promise to focus on quality singers, with a bit less of the train wreck auditions - and I think it's working.

I'm very excited to see how Hollywood Week is portrayed. In two weeks we find out if the producers are actually able to capitalize on the inherent reality TV component of having 150 young adults fighting it out for 36 slots.

Oughta be a bit of back stage drama to mine.

Stay tuned.

PRISON BREAK: Dead Show Walking

It's not a shocker - but PRISON BREAK will be wrapping it up this spring.

The show with a concept no one thought could last more than one year will officially come to a conclusion at the end of this, its fourth, season.

This season has been so over the top convoluted - but it's so hard to stop watching.

Creators and the network have agreed that everyone involved is out of juice and there are no more stories to tell.

There are four episodes remaining in this season's order, although FOX is considering adding one more episode to allow the creators a chance to wrap everything up.

PRISON BREAK is currently on mid-season hiatus and will finish out its run on Friday nights after SARAH CONNOR completes its run.

'TIL DEATH - and Beyond

In a week when I was planning on discussing the return of 24 and AMERICAN IDOL, FOX is rocking the world with news that is completely unexpected.

'TIL DEATH has been renewed.

Not just renewed, mind you. 'TIL DEATH has been given a full 22 episode order for a fourth season.

Huh?

'TIL DEATH was never a brilliant sitcom. It was marginal at best, but the original premise had promise. A pair of newlyweds move in next door to a couple that has been married for 25 years.

Unfortunately, that premise got tossed to the curb, along with the actors playing the newlyweds during the writer's strike. When 'TIL DEATH returned from the strike hiatus, it was a completely different show - and not for the good.

Seven episodes from the current season remain unaired. The last time we saw Brad Garrett was in an embarrassing YouTube video. The last time we saw him in 'TIL DEATH was back in October. Ratings were too poor for the show to get any airings during the all important November sweeps.

So the questions is "For the love of God, why?"

The answer is remarkably simple. Sony, the producer of the show, offered a drastic cut in the licensing deal for the show for a fourth season. Even with marginal numbers, the economics of the show suddenly become much more attractive for FOX. And with the 22 additional episodes, Sony has a product available for syndication that will have 83 episodes instead of 61.

Never mind the fact that it's really a library of 31 episodes of the original sitcom and 52 episodes of the lesser version.

Oh well. You get what you pay for.

Ferguson No Longer Available

Craig Ferguson's personal life has contributed to some of the most special moments on THE LATE LATE SHOW. And now, he's gotten married - again.




Enjoy.

Pushing Daisies is...Pushing Up Daisies

PUSHING DAISIES Executive Producer Bryon Fuller (who has rejoined the creative team over at HEROES) reports that ABC has changed its mind concerning the three unaired episodes of the quirky canceled show.

There was talk that ABC might burn of the three hours over the course of one night, but now it's beginning to look like the only we're going to get to see them is on the eventual DVD release.

According to Entertainment Weekly, Fuller reports "They are not scheduled to air right now," he sighs, "and that's all we know."

So, for me, DAISIES joins the club populated by FIREFLY, WONDERFALLS, BRISCO COUNTY, JR and ANGEL.

They all died too young.

Discuss. What are your favorite short-lived shows?

The New American Idol

In Simon Cowell's book "I Don't Mean to be Rude, But..." he tells the behind-the-scenes story of getting AMERICAN IDOL on the air.

For starters, every network passed on the concept on the first lap. 'Cause network execs are geniuses.

But I digress.

Further examples of the genius of American television executives include their insistence on changing the formula of a proven television blockbuster. "Yeah, but do they have to sing? Could they be gymnasts? Could they have a dog? Could they brick layers?" Again, I digress.

One of the elements founding producer Nigel Lithgow insisted on was a panel of three judges.

The model requires Simon Cowell, who tells the cold hard truth, breaks the spirits of the breakable and challenges those who are unbreakable to be better than the know they can be. He's also one of the most successful finders of new talent in the industry.

Judge #2 should be a successful producer who knows the music business and knows what it takes to make a hit record. That's Randy.

Judge #3 should be someone who has been successful as a performer. That's Paula.

Sidebar: Simon was unimpressed with Paula at first, explaining American songwriters lacked energy, unlike say, Kylie Minogue's "Spinning Round." After Paula pointed out that she had CO-WRITTEN that song, she was in the club.

The other thing Lithgow fought to keep was the dual host format. He caved on that one in Year 2 and Brian Dunkleman is now hosting "Family Feud Live" in Las Vegas.

As IDOL progressed, the baboons slowly worked their way into the mix (see TV Shows Written by Baboons) and we began to see more and more Bad TV Creep - emphasis on bad contestants, and a drifting away from what should be one of the most compelling reality mini-series - Hollywood Week.

So this year, we're adding a fourth judge, Kara DioGuardi. She has a reputation for being tough and she's the other half of the team that wrote "Spinning Round." Is she a Paula backup? You bet she is. Are we straying from the original format by having a fourth voice on the judging panel. Not for long.

The other promising announcement for this season is a reduction on the emphasis on the untalented folks in the auditions, and extra episodes focusing on the backstage drama of Hollywood Week - both EXCELLENT ideas.

They're going to put more singers through from Hollywood Week to the first round, which means they're going to be cutting contestants at a pretty quick pace in the early weeks.

I, for one, think it all sounds like IDOL may be on track for a pretty damnged good season.

What say you?

Superstars of Dance

One wonders how a good performance competition program ever gets to the air.

It takes a great concept, capable producers, spiffy sets, qualified directors, an engaging host and apparently lightning in a bottle.

NBC's SUPERSTARS OF DANCE is produced by Nigel Lithgow, also producer of SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE and a former producer of AMERICAN IDOL. Nigel knows performance competition and he knows dance. That's a big positive.

The concept of dance troupes from across the world competing head to head may initially sound like a good idea, but so did FOX's WORLD IDOL special following the first season of AMERICAN IDOL. (Kelly Clarkson came in 2nd to a hobbit.) Gonna call this one a near miss.

As for the set... well let's start with the fact that we have a production concept screaming out for swooping, sweeping camera movement - a design that should require a Hi-Def production. However, my widescreen was cropped on the sides for this one. What a wasted opportunity to show off HD with some spectacular spectacle.

Unfortunately, it's pretty clear that production cost-savings are all over this production. Chintzy set elements, a small stage (even IDOL's stage is bigger and no one's dancing on that show!) inexplicably dark lighting and poor camera choices add up to a look that is hard to explain. It's just not big enough, energetic enough, professional enough or produced enough to meet a smart audience's expectations. Big miss on this one. Not even close.

Host Michael Flattley may have once been the Lord of the Dance, but he's no Ryan Seacrest, Cat Deely or even Tom Bergeron. Big miss on this one too.

Suffice to say, there ain't no lightning in this bottle, folks. A convoluted contest, with rules that are yet to be explained, no audience participation and sub-par production values in what amounts to a program better suited for a summer run - all comes together in what may foretell where NBC is headed in the future.

TV is not spaghetti. You can't just produce it, throw it against the wall and see if it sticks. It has to be done right - or you as well not do it at all. If this is an example of NBC''s cost cutting coookie-cutter copycat approach to success, GE stockholders are going to be needing bottles filled with something with a bit more of a kick than lightning.

SUPERSTARS OF DANCE is a dud that no peacock would be proud of.

Shows I Wish I Was Watching

The year in review stuff continues...

This time, let's talk about the show's I wish I was watching.

2008 saw the wrap up for two shows I never had a chance to get invested in - THE WIRE and THE SHIELD.

I never, not once, not ever watch a single episode of THE SHIELD. In trying to figure out why, it may have come down to content issues when the show launched. See, back then there were teenagers in my house. A lot of the TV choices that were made in my household at that time took their tastes into account.

I was still working in TV at the time, so there was a lot of monitoring going on - and with a single tuner TiVo, not much opportunity to invest in hit or miss programming.

As for THE WIRE, I do recall watching the pilot and not caring much for it. I do intend to give the entire series another go on DVD.

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA - I was against the reboot on this one. Saw a bit of the first episode, but didn't find it compelling. Now that the series has apparently got the fanboys all tied up in knots, the DVDs are on their way from Netflix.

BIG BANG THEORY - Watched my first episode this week. It's clever and young and on the wrong network.

HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER - Didn't feel like I could just jump into the middle fo this one. I've started watching from the beginning courtesy of a nifty little website WatchTVSitcoms.com. Not sure how this exists, but I'm glad it does. Like BIG BANG THEORY, MOTHER is too young and way too hip to be on CBS.

2008's Guilty Pleasures

OK, I ain't proud of 'em, but I likes 'em, so's I watch 'em.

HELL'S KITCHEN - It's profane and abusive but HK has one thing a lot of reality shows don't. I doesn't feel forced. If it is, it's well disguised. If you think about it, Gordon Ramsay is really the one going through the torture. I'll admit to skimming through the team rewards elements and getting right back into the kitchen for the good stuff.

PRISON BREAK - Man, oh, man. "How will they continue this show once they break out of prison?" Simple, they'll be on the run for a year. Then they'll get caught and have to escape from a Panamanian prison. Then they'll be on the run again, but this time a government agent will offer them freedom in return for stealing something from a Halliburton-esque organization. THEN they'll get double-crossed and have the item stolen from them BY THEIR MOTHER. This thing has more twists per episode than a month of DAYS OF OUR LIVES. And I love it!

BONES - BONES didn't make my Top 10 list for a very good reason. Sometimes the writing is a tad short of tortorous. It's hard to buy that someone who has written several best selling books can be as ignorant about modern American culture as Temperence Brennan. But David Boreanaz is sharp as Agent Booth. He's why I tuned in to begin with. (I REALLY miss ANGEL)

HEROES - Faded in year two, wasted too much time in year three, but it's going to have to get a lot worse for me to bail out. What started as a brilliant 'what if?' concept has quickly devolved into an over-populated comic book world. We need fewer dead end sotrylines, a narrower focus on fewer characters and a return to the magic of discovery that made up so much of that first season.

ER - Back in the beginning, I chose CHICAGO HOPE over E.R.. The two medical dramas were both set in a Chicago hospital and were scheduled head to head on NBC and CBS. By mid-season Hope had moved to Monday and I've seen every episode of E.R. since. That being said, this show is a long way away from the show that scored 40 shares with EVERY SINGLE EPISODE. Thank God the torurous storyline of Dr. Abby is finally finished. It felt like some sort of penance to force myself to sit through the darkmess and dreariness that accompanied that character. Seriously, the show would have benefitted from having another flaming helicopter falling out of the sky and squishing her like a whiny bug about two years ago. The show is better - by far - without her. It's a shame we're nto going to get to know some of the new characters very well before the entire thing wraps up in March.

[SIDEBAR: On 12/30/08, the five networks combined managed to score a measly 22 share. That means 78 percent of TVs in use at the time were watching something other than network TV. In its prime, E.R. used to score a 25 share with a RERUN.]

FAMILY GUY - OK, I admit it. I watch it. But, to be fair, it's better than it used to be. It's WAY better than it was back when it was cancelled. It still goes too far, too often, but the non-sequiters have found their own rhythm and the show has found its voice. I suppose from here on out, the decline begins.

OK - what about you? Your turn. Confess away.

TV's Top 10 of 2008

Without too much thought put into it, here's my Top 10 list of TV shows from 2008.

AMERICAN IDOL - Love it. Not as good as in years past, but improvements are coming in 2009.

LOST - Now that the producers know when the series will end, the filler episodes are gone and this show is flying at warp speed.

BREAKING BAD - Love Bryan Cranston. Love him. He is a fearless actor - just look at the risks he took during the run of MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE. Aaron Paul's performance as Jesse is equal to Cranston's - which is saying something.

MAD MEN - Love the languid, yet taught pace, the attention to detail. This year it became clear that the nuclear family the advertising geniuses are pushing on the public is even more foreign to them than it is to us. You know you're a hot property when THE SIMPSONS send up your show intro.


PUSHING DAISIES - The abbreviated first season was far superior to the second. Brilliant art direction and a self-contained universe free of modern technology made this an instant favorite. As the show progressed, that self-contained universe began to fray a bit at the edges and the second season saw a darker, less whimsical texture but this one will be missed. Three episodes remain unaired, then it's done.

HOUSE - Same story week in and week out - but I don't care.

LATE LATE SHOW WITH CRAIG FERGUSON - His monologues are a different creature from anything else on TV. Craig isn't afraid to talk about his demons or his pride in being a naturalized American citizen. His show that followed the passing of his mother was heart-breaking, personal and brave. He will no doubt benefit from the 2009 late night re-rack over at NBC.

SUPERNATURAL - You can tell a lot of X-FILES veterans are involved in this show (Kim Manners rocks!). It has the same gritty, creepy flavor that helped every episode of THE X-FILES look like a mini-movie. The Winchester brothers have never been better.

SMALLVILLE - What? Really? Smallville? Yep. This show is so much better than it was three years ago. As someone who someday hopes to create a TV series it pains me to say that this show has vastly improved with the departure of its original show runners. Maybe it's luck, but their departure, along with the loss of Lex Luthor and Lana Lang and Clark's relocation to metropolis have all combined to make this show more grown up, much more palatable and better written.

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE - This is THE dance competition to watch. Great summer programming, filled with folks who have danced all their lives. It's amazing stuff.

What's on your list? (There are very few wrong answers.) Show you list, defend your choices!

What Did YOU Watch?

I'll be the first to admit I haven't done a very good job of keeping up with It's Over TV over the last year or so. Less than 20 posts over the course of a calendar year does not make for a blog worthy of visiting on a regular basis.

Well, HOPEFULLY, that's all about to change.

I'm embarking on a concerted effort to post SOMETHING here each and every day of 2009.

Just typing that on my screen sends shudders down my spine.

BUT. There's a lot going on in the world of broadcasting these days - and not a lot of it is good. Even less of it is excellent. And by gum, we're gonna talk about it.

TV's second season will be upon us soon, and there are some very promising shows in the wings. We've seen other very promising shows wither, wilt and fade away from lingering effects od the writers' strike. We'll chat about both topics in the weeks to come.

Right now, I want to talk about what I and YOU have been watching over the last few months. It'll help me get an idea of where you're coming from, and vice versa.

So, now that '08 is history, here's what I was watching this fall:

MONDAY
Heroes - NBC
Prison Break - FOX
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles - FOX
Saving Grace - TNT

TUESDAY
House - FOX
Fringe - FOX

WEDNESDAY
Bones - FOX
Pushing Daisies - ABC

THURSDAY
Smallville - CW
Supernatural - CW
ER - NBC

SUNDAY
The Simpsons - FOX
Family Guy - FOX
American Dad - FOX
Mad Men - AMC
True Blood - HBO

WEEKNIGHTS
Special Report with Brit Hume - FNC
Glenn Beck - Headline News
Craig Ferguson - CBS

The DVR rules in my den. NOTHING is watched live anymore. (That's part of the reason I didn't include times on my list - Heck it's hard to remember what night some of these shows air!)

I find I will dawdle in the kitchen for fifteen minutes just to be able to start a show late and fly through the commercial breaks. For me, it's not that I'm not interested in the commercials - I will back and watch one I haven't seen, or one I want to share - it's about squeezing more into my day. If I can enjoy HOUSE in 45 minutes AND have time to nuke leftovers, the world is a better place than it used to be.

And if I'm busy, maybe Heroes is the only thing that gets viewed on Monday. It could be Saturday before I get all caught up on the week. It's a great thing.

So, what did you watch this fall? (We'll talk about your mid-season plans next time!)

Zucker Delivers Death Blow to NBC

Monday, NBC idiot-in-chief, the honorable Jeff Zucker wondered aloud to the press about the continued viability of NBC if it must program 22 hours each and every week.

He floated the idea of dropping one night of programming, or rolling back prime time by one hour. His reason? "Three of our competitors do it." That's right folks, the network that once laughed at FOX as the network you needed aluminum foil on your antenna to pick up, now considers MyNetwork and The CW as legitimate threats to the Peacock.

Ridiculous.

If tonight's internet and industry rumors can be trusted, Jeff's solution seems to be to move Jay Leno into the 10/9 Central time slot - FIVE NIGHTS PER WEEK.

Brilliant.

Conan is getting THE TONIGHT SHOW soon, and Zucker has been struck with the brilliant idea of repurposing Jay himself.

Granted, this move will mean five hours less development that NBC has to fund.

However, it will also cede NBC's strongest hour of the night to the competition. Jeff, you can't honestly tell me you expect HERE'S JAY! (or whatever the hell you're going to call it) to bring in the same audience that the LAW & ORDER franshise does.

My guess is - up to two-thirds of the NBC procedural drama crowd will relocate to ABC and CBS. There will also be another substantial portion of the NBC audience that will find the early news on the local FOX station more palatable.

No matter what, fewer people will watch NBC.

Folks, we're talking about a time slot in which ER used to get a 40 share with new episodes. But instead of fighting for important time slots with original, creative product, Zucker has constantly programmed with an eye toward repurposing on cable first.

Next week, this poor excuse for a programming schedule will feature a dance competition better suited for summer and a relationship 'reality' piece of crap that belongs on MTV.

This is simply preposterous ignorance on display for the world to see - in Hi-Def.

How can GE shareholders continue to allow this man to destroy one of broadcasting's gems? Please, can't someone swoop in and purchase this once mighty network and save it from this pathetic excuse for a TV executive?

In the world of bad ideas, Zucker is king.

Fire Zucker, save the network.

Strike Claims Pushing Daisies

Word on the internets is that the PUSHING DAISIES Pie Hole set is being torn down.

Further evidence that quirky and creative just doesn't work on network TV, the impending loss of one of broadcast TV's most innovatively designed and written programs has roots beyond the lowest common denominator.

Like several new show from the 2007-08 season, DAISIES has struggled in its second season, and I blame the writers' strike - or nore specifically, the networks' collective response to the writers' strike.

The 2008-09 season saw the nets being patient with shows that showed promise but had their seasons cut short by the strike. Not one of those programs have delivered the same audience as in their debut season. Not one.

First, in some cases, the class of '07 was rushed into production. The race was on to produce as many episodes as possible before the strike struck. Several of those shows probably shouldn't have been produced in the first place. Those were the ones that didn't get invited back for the 08-09 season.

In some cases, these shows had great original concepts, but as production rushed through the latter episodes of a shortened season, there was less time to tweak, correct and do much in terms of true creation beyond first drafts. Perhaps these shows ever so slightly came off their prospective rails.

Then came the summer of '08. None of the networks felt it worth investing in reruns of thses rookie shows in preparation for the fall launch. They arrogantly assumed that we'd be eager to plan our week around the return of a program in which we'd only invested 13 hours.

It's one thing to assume viewers will return for '24' - and I think they will, even given it's year long absence. It's another assumption completely to expect viewers to return for CHUCK or DAISIES or even SARAH CONNOR given that the show were on hiatus longer than they were originally on the air.

Lastly, in DAISIES' case, the program has not lived up to its early promise.

What I found to extra special about the pie-maker and his universe is that it is unique. It can't be identified with a specific decade or location - unless the writers get sloppy - and lately they have. There was a whimsy about the first 13 episode of DAISIES that has slowly fallen by the wayside. It was charming, clever and matched the impeccable art direction of the series.

There are little things going wrong of late - small but important details that cemented the pie-maker in his unique universe. Lately, the word 'ass' has crept into several of the characters' vocabulary. There have been uniquely modern colloquialisms as well. Again, it's the small stuff that separated this show from everything else, and the small stuff is starting to be ignored.

I almost expect one of the characters to break out a cell phone next week. It's just wrong. It doesn't taste like the pie we've been getting.

When an eaterie like the Pie Hole changes its recipes this much, one has to wonder if its under new management, the head chef left, or if the owner really cared to begin with.

Rosie Kicks Off Holidays with a Turkey

NBC and Rosie O'Donell took a shot at bringing back the variety show last night, and let's just say we're glad there won't be any leftovers from this turkey.

The critics have not been kind - which is fitting. Rosie hasn't been Ms. Warmth over the last few years herself.

Check out the reviews.

TV Guide: Dead on Arrival

New York Times: Hokey Comedy with an Enemy List

L.A. Times: What Was She Thinking?

The Hollywood Reporter: Rosie Disappoints

Maybe now Rosie can go away for a decade or so.

Please?

Emmy & the New Season

OK.

It's been a while. A long while since I have posted. For that, I apologize.

It's not that I haven't been consuming pop culture, goodness knows it isn't that. It's just that time has been so difficult to come by over the last few months.

Things are settling down, the new TV season is upon us - and there's snarkiness to be shared!

Where to start?

How about the Emmys? There's something there that sums up the last season for me completely.

Five hosts, from five 'reality' shows found it extremely difficult to fill the opening five minutes of the presentation. You see, they were winging it. Nothing was written down for them. And it stunk to high heaven.

Apparently writers ARE important - even to 'reality' shows. Perhaps, expecially to 'reality' shows. Without someone driving the storyline in a particular direction, guess what - TV becomes way too real (read 'boring').

Kudos to Tom Bergeron and Ryan Seacrest for barely participating in the 'winging' - they looked embarrassed to be on the stage, and seemed to sense the true nature of the train wreck that was about to unfold before their eyes.

Meanwhile, the ratings for the snoozefest were down to record lows. Could it be that viewers didn't give much of a rip since the last episode of most of their favorite broadcast shows were aired in January?

And what to make of the dominance of cable? JOHN ADAMS, MAD MEN and BREAKING BAD scored major wins following a season of malaise.

NBC and FOX have both debuted clunker shows that shouldn't have seen the light of day outside of the summer season. All the nets have shows on their schedules that were purchased without a true pilot.

The after shocks of the writers' strike have not ended. This season doesn't look like it's going to have any breakout, water-cooler type pop culture icons. Where is this year's HEROES, 24, or AMERICAN IDOL?

I'll tell you - it didn't get made. I mean, where would we put it? That slot is taken by KNIGHT RIDER, HOLE IN THE WALL or DO NOT DISTURB.

It's gonna be a long season.

A Tale of Two Movies

DARK KNIGHT is being hailed as the best superhero movie in existence.

It's not.

THE X-FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE is being trashed as too little, too late.

It might be.

SPOILERS LURK BELOW - go away if you don't wanna know!

I've held off for a couple of weeks on writing about DARK KNIGHT. I've seen it twice - not because it's a masterpiece, but more to confirm my initial reaction. The film's just too darn long.

Heath Ledger gives a masterful performance. The dedication to him in the end credits made me tear up - twice. But the Joker is not the problem here - it's Harvey Dent.

The Joker's actions create Dent's villainous alter ego, Two Face. And this interpretation of the classic Batman baddie is miles better than Tommy Lee Jones' take.

The problem is, there's just too much of Dent, post-creation. Prior to his turning, the character of Harvey Dent still carries a great deal of the weight of this film - and it's wonderful. The idea that the Batman may finally have found a true hero for Gotham is exceptional. That Batman is eager to retire and turn his beloved city over to a civil servant willing to take on the bad guys is quite a departure from recent Bat-history.

But...

Once the Joker creates Two-Face, the film loses focus - and gains about a half hour of story that could have made for another exceptional film, had it not been so rushed. I would have much preferred saving Two-Face for a big reveal just before the end credits, rather than having the character intrude on the relationship between Joker and Batman.

As for Scully and Mulder... it struck me during my screening that this film felt like just another episode of the series. Not so great a notion for a movie - but I think it really says something about the incredible quality of the original source material.

Every episode of THE X-FILES was shot like a mini-movie. The series had a cinematic look that set it apart from other TV shows of the 1990's. We saw five solid years (and two lesser years) worth of creepy atmosphere,, monster-like humans and human-like monsters.

To take the series to the big screen requires a bigger scale, a bigger story and bigger danger. I WANT TO BELIEVE doesn't have any of that - and that's what's gone wrong.

What it does have is a lot of what made the series solid. Questions, not so many answers and personal quests.

It was great to drop in on the characters again, but moviegoers deserve a bit more.

The box office results have not been kind and that may mean be the end of Scully and Mulder, but that's probably how it should be.

The duo was very much a creation of the '90s - and their visit to the post-9/11 edition of the FBI underscores the passage of time with a pause in front of President Bush's photo. Our heroes are very much from a different time - a time when the worst monsters we could come up with weren't fanatical humans.

Today's world requires a different hero.

A silent guardian.

A watchful protector.

A dark knight.

Craig's Makeover, Part 2

Craig Ferguson is adjusting nicely to the new format of his program.

At first he experimented with a new feature titles "What Will We Learn on the Show Tonight, Craig?" - a takeoff on his nightly wrap-up "What Did We Learn on the Show Tonight, Craig?"

What Will We Learn looked very much like it was taped after the guests had left the show - and it ruined the surprise of some of the wild tangents Ferguson's stream-of-consciousness monologues are prone to follow.

He's since fixed the issue.

This week the show had what amounts to a cold open, in which Ferguson drops a couple of old standbys from his monologue - like celebrity birthdays and a nibble from the headlines. He cracks himself up a few times, then tells us who his guests are going to be - after the break.

I love David Letterman, but I can't wait for Craig to get a shot at Dave's timeslot. He is simply brilliant.

Craig Gets a Makeover

So they've tweaked TEH LATE LATE SHOW WITH CRAIG FERGUSON. Again.

Monday, following a week long run of encores telecasts, the program opened with something new - a full screen graphic featuring an owl and a "What Will We Learn on the Show Tonight, Craig?" jingle.

Ferguson then did two minutes whilst hiding his upper lip and the piddly excuse for a mustache he had grown over the weekend. Don't get me wrong - it was hilarious.

What I found not so funny was this - CBS has tweaked Ferguson's show format again.

After his two minute teaser, we were treated to a sponsor billboard and three minutes of commercials - followed by the official open of the program.

Just a bit screwy, if you ask me. I couldn't tell if the rest of the show had fewer breaks, longer segments or what - but it contained about 45 minutes of the wackiest comedy about mustaches I had ever personally witnessed.

The commercial break included some local spots, so it looks like it might be an attempt to move those spots into a more favorable, higher viewed part of the show - but it really gets in the way of the flow of the show.

Do not like.

As for Ferguson himself, things got even sillier Tuesday. His mustache (Rudy) pretty much took over the show, and yet Ferguson seemed to grow bored with the concept as the show continued on.

By Wednesday, Craig had shaved and the silliness was about other stuff - but just as silly.

If you've never stayed up late for Craig, program your electronic TV show recording devices and give it a shot. It doesn't matter what time of day or night you watch - it's laugh out loud silly stuff.

Did I mention it's silly?

Silly enough to make me look forward to the day when Letterman retires and Ferguson gets to step up to the 10:35 slot.